Michigan took a 10-game winning streak and unbeaten record in the Big Ten to Ohio State in November.

The Wolverines had a chance to lock up their first appearance in the conference championship game but were throttled 62-39 by the Buckeyes, who went on to win their second straight Big Ten title. Less than two months later, new Ohio State coach Ryan Day hired former Michigan assistant coaches Greg Mattison and Al Washington to his staff.

Predictably, the moves didn’t go over well with Michigan fans and even players and assistant coach Chris Partridge voiced their displeasure. Leaving the Wolverines was one thing but going to the Buckeyes was difficult for some to stomach. The animosity over the rivalry, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said, was overblown.

“They’re professionals,” Smith said Tuesday during the Big Ten athletic directors meetings in Rosemont, Ill. “I think people look at that and put too much on that. These guys are professionals. Look at how many times Greg moved around – I lost track.”

Mattison has more than four decades of coaching experience and worked at nine different colleges, including Michigan, before three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He returned to Ann Arbor as Brady Hoke’s defensive coordinator for four seasons and then stayed on staff as Jim Harbaugh’s defensive line coach the last four years.

Day, who was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach to replace Urban Meyer, hired Mattison and Jeff Hafley in January as co-defensive coordinators. Mattison cited the desire to be a coordinator again as a key reason for taking the job. It also came with a hefty raise as the Buckeyes’ highest-paid assistant. Mattison’s salary this season will be $1.1 million – more than double the $525,000 he earned last year.

“And when Ryan looked at his staff, he wanted someone with a lot of maturity in the room,” Smith said. “He already had (associate head coach and defensive line coach) Larry Johnson but he wanted another person like a Greg and it became easy for us to think about Greg because of the diversity in his background. He’s going to bring so much to the table for us.”

Washington, 35, whose father was a standout linebacker for the Buckeyes, spent just one season at Michigan as the linebackers coach and was hired for the same role at Ohio State. Washington would have made $375,000 this season at Michigan but his contract with the Buckeyes will pay him $500,000 a year.

“Al is just a no-brainer because his dad played there, he’s from Columbus, he’s an outstanding teacher, blah, blah, blah,” Smith said.

It was a tumultuous 2018 season for Ohio State as Meyer was suspended for the first three games for how he handled allegations of domestic assault against former assistant Zach Smith. In December, Meyer announced his retirement after the season and Day, who served as the interim head coach during his suspension, was named the successor.

Despite winning the Big Ten championship, Ohio State wasn’t picked for the College Football Playoff. The Buckeyes beat Washington in the Rose Bowl to finish 13-1.

“The nice thing about the bowl game and having Ryan already identified, was during the bowl game practices, he and I could meet when they weren’t practicing or meeting, and he could talk about his staffing,” Smith said. “So, by the time the bowl game was over, he already had lined up in his mind what he wanted to do. So, it was just a matter of getting that bowl game over and getting to the interview process. Greg and Al surfaced right to the top of that list.”

Harbaugh said he was surprised Mattison left for Ohio State but understood his desire to be a coordinator again, as well as the huge pay increase. Day said he wasn’t trying to “cherry pick” Michigan’s staff and respects the rivalry.

“It really wasn’t about Michigan or any of that,” Smith said. “He’s looking for professionals.”